King Misuzulu kaZwelithini urged migrants to leave South Africa after violent clashes near his home in KwaZulu‑Natal, using derogatory language while also warning against vigilantism. The comments followed unrest at Addington Primary School in Durban, where disputes over admissions prompted police to use water cannon and stun grenades. Provincial officials said immigrants made up 37% of the school's roll, though national figures put foreign learners at under 2% of all pupils. Analysts warn the remarks could inflame xenophobic tensions.
Zulu King Urges Migrants To Leave After Durban School Clashes — Warns Against Vigilantism
King Misuzulu kaZwelithini said foreign men who had fathered children with local women ‘must leave’ - RAJESH JANTILAL/AFP via Getty Images
South Africa's Zulu monarch, King Misuzulu kaZwelithini, said migrants should leave the country after violent clashes near his home in KwaZulu‑Natal, while also calling for dialogue and warning his followers not to take the law into their own hands.
Speaking at a ceremony commemorating the 1879 Battle of Isandlwana, the 51‑year‑old used derogatory language for migrants from neighbouring countries and said that foreign men in relationships with local women should leave the country, though he indicated children born of those unions could remain.
A woman and child flee their home after violent anti-immigrant protests in the Johannesburg area - Nadine Hutton/Bloomberg News
Although the king holds no formal political power, his remarks carry weight among roughly 12 million Zulu people who view him as a cultural custodian and moral authority. The comments came after unrest at Addington Primary School in Durban, where parents and anti‑immigration campaigners accused the school of prioritising immigrant children — an allegation local officials deny.
Police used water cannon and stun grenades to disperse demonstrations. Provincial education officials later reported that immigrants accounted for 37% of the school's enrolment and that 12 pupils were undocumented; national education figures indicate foreign learners make up less than 2% of pupils countrywide.
A member of Operation Dudula (right) clashes with an immigrant parent outside a clinic - Tommy Trenchard
South Africa, the continent's most industrialised economy, attracts migrants from neighbouring countries including Malawi, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Mozambique. After apartheid the country adopted a relatively generous asylum system that allowed applicants to work while claims were processed. But with national unemployment around 33%, migrants are frequently blamed for job competition, crime and pressure on public services — grievances that have sometimes erupted into deadly violence.
Riots targeting foreigners left at least 61 people dead in 2008, with further outbreaks in 2015 and 2019. Grassroots groups such as Operation Dudula have targeted foreign‑run businesses and campaigned to restrict access to public services for non‑nationals. Political parties have increasingly framed tougher migration policies as a way to win votes.
What the King Said
“What happened at Addington shows that we are being compromised by our sisters. But what can we do, because their children are our nephews and nieces?”
“However, we must sit down and discuss this. Even if my nephew or niece is born of a foreign national, that foreign national must leave, while my nephew or niece should remain.”
His remarks echo comments by his late father, King Goodwill Zwelithini, who in 2015 urged migrants to 'pack their belongings' and leave South Africa. Critics and analysts say the king's language risks fuelling xenophobic sentiment and could encourage vigilantism.
Experts, community leaders and civil‑society organisations have called for calm, clearer school enrolment policies and for policymakers to address underlying social and economic pressures rather than scapegoating migrants.
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